Christian Gross

Christian Jürgen Gross (born 14 August 1954 in Zürich) is a Swiss professional football manager and former footballer, currently manages Al-Ahli in Saudi Professional League. He was manager of FC Basel from 1 July 1999 to 27 May 2009, winning four Swiss Super Leagues and four Swiss Cups.

As coach of Tottenham Hotspur between November 1997 and September 1998, Gross became the first Swiss to manage in the Premier League.

Playing career

Gross began his playing career at Grasshoppers, which he left in 1975. After three years at Lausanne Sports and two seasons at Neuchâtel Xamax, he moved to Germany in 1980 to play for VfL Bochum of the Bundesliga. In two seasons Gross made 29 appearances in the Bundesliga and scored four goals. He then returned to Switzerland and spent three years at FC St. Gallen and FC Lugano. Gross was capped once for Switzerland.

Coaching career

Early success

Gross began his managerial career at Swiss side FC Wil in the 2. Liga (the fourth-highest level), for whom he was active as player-manager. During his reign from 1988 to 1993, Wil climbed into the 1. Liga and then the Nationalliga B (now the Challenge League). While at Wil, Gross developed a reputation for an emphasis on fitness and hard work. He then joined Grasshoppers as head coach in 1993. Under Gross, Grasshopper won two Swiss championships and the Swiss Cup. Gross's success with Grasshopper meant he was a very highly rated coach in his native Switzerland, but he was still little-known outside central Europe and it was a major shock when in November 1997 he was chosen to succeed Gerry Francis as manager of Tottenham Hotspur.